What's The Most Underrated Doritos Flavor? Here's What Mashed Fans Say - Exclusive Survey

When Doritos first appeared on store shelves more than half a century ago, the chips didn't yet have the two key features they're known for today: intense flavor and a finger-staining orange powder. When Doritos first debuted, they were just plain tortilla chips, and it would be another year before taco-flavored Doritos were created. They've come a long way since then; over the decades, Doritos has become one of the most popular and best-selling snack foods, thanks to a potent combination of salt, fats, sugar, and ingredients such as garlic and cheese.

Any fan of Doritos knows that the flavors have evolved wildly over the years. There have been more than 100 varieties of the chips, including a mystery flavor labeled as "The Quest" (the flavor was Mountain Dew) and many discontinued flavors, including "Late Night" Jalapeño Poppers and Chester's Cheese, a Cheetos-Doritos mash-up, per Feast. 

With all of these attempts to make the most outrageous, spotlight-grabbing chips, what do fans think are the most underrated Doritos flavors? Mashed asked readers this very question, and their picks are surprising.

In an exclusive survey where Mashed asked 599 people to pick the most underrated Doritos flavors, 51 respondents chose Taco Doritos — the very first flavor created back in 1967. (After being briefly discontinued in 2020, thankfully, they're available again.) Another old-school variety made the list as well, with 112 respondents choosing Nacho Cheese Doritos as one of the most underrated flavors. This one is what most fans would consider original Doritos: the ones sold in red bags and with chips that have plenty of orange dust to coat the fingertips. 

A couple of Doritos' more recent flavor innovations are high on snack food-lovers' lists, especially for those who like a fiery kick. Eighty respondents said that the spicy, jalapeño-spiked Salsa Verde Doritos deserve more credit as one of the best, yet least-appreciated flavors. And coming in second in the poll was Sweet Spicy Chili Doritos, chosen by 169 respondents. Found in the purple bag, this variety has the unique flavor of soy sauce blended with hot chili peppers. 

And the winner of the poll? 187 of those asked said that Doritos Cool Ranch is the most underrated flavor of all. The company introduced the ranch-flavored chips in 1986, yet another vintage Doritos flavor that has endured as one of fans' most-loved. Frito-Lay executives, go ahead and test those new Doritos flavors — just so long as you don't take away our old favorites.